Tag: pepper

#4080: Ve Wong Artificial Peppered Beef Flavor – Taiwan

#4080: Ve Wong Artificial Peppered Beef Flavor - Taiwan

September 8th, 2010. That was the last time I tried this one – it was review #132. I’ve been reviewing instant noodles since then – it’s kind of crazy. I mean, over 11 years ago  and almost 4000 reviews later, I’m still into reviewing instant noodles. Let’s revisit these – it’s not a re-review since in that amount of time, a lot of things can happen. For one thing, the packaging has changed. Another thing is that the same ingredients from suppliers may have changed. After 11 years, a lot changed in a product’s lifecycle. Let’s check this one out. ...see full post

#2709: KOKA Signature Black Pepper Fried Noodles

#2709: KOKA Signature Black Pepper Fried Noodles - Singapore - Tat Hui - The Ramen Rater

Well, I thought I was out of KOKA varieties to review and only had a couple duplicates but nope – nada – still got more! See, there are KOKA Signature and KOKA Delight which both look about the same and often have the same flavors. What’s the difference? Well, KOKA Delight is baked noodles – not fried. So I’ve still got a few varieties left. This one is a black pepper flavor noodle – without broth. Black pepper is an interesting thing – very historic as well. Let’s see if I can find something from Wikipedia – ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition

The Ramen Rater's Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition

So today it’s the fifth annual The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. On my other lists, I exclude varieties that no longer are on the market. On this list, everything’s fair game for the bottom ten. As I say in the video presentation, if you like some of these, there’s nothing wrong with you – I just find these detestable personally. These are my least favorite varieties of the over 2400 varieties posted to date. Without gurther ado, the bottom ten. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Mom’s Dry Noodle Vegan Chilli With Sesame Sauce

Mom’s Dry Noodle Vegan Chilli With Sesame Sauce - Taiwan - The Ramen Rater

A lot of people these days are giving up meat and switching to the Vegan lifestyle. So, what’s the difference between Vegetarian and Vegan? It seems like there are many different ‘flavors’ of Vegetarianism. For example, I have a friend who claims to be vegetarian, however he eats bacon, eggs and Jack In The Box fast food tacos. Here’s what wikipedia has to say about Veganism: ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Mom’s Dry Noodle Pepper & Sesame Sauce

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Mom's Dry Noodle Pepper & Sesame Sauce - The Ramen Rater - Taiwan

So today we kick off Meet The Manufacturer with a unique variety – pepper and sesame sauce. First, this is black pepper, not hot chill. Second, sesame sauce is completely different from sesame oil. Sesame sauce has a more peanut butter kind of texture and flavor whereas sesame oil has that strong sesame scent and saltiness. Let’s dig into this one and get things started! ...see full post

#2289: Myojo Shin-Toyama Black Ramen

Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety: ...see full post

#2243: Nissin Cup Noodles Black Pepper Crab Flavour

Here’s the last of the varieties that Prima Taste sent a while back – thanks! You might be wondering – why would they send a product they don’t make? Well, I asked for anyone who could help to send me noodles – I was down to three or four varieties in my hamper – a bad situation! Well, lots of people sent noodles – even Prima Taste! So let’s check out this one from Hong Kong with a Singaporean taste! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1828: Zeng Noodles Scallion With Sichuan Pepper Flavor

In the past year, I’ve tried quite a few varieties with Sichuan Pepper in them and really gotten a feel for this kind of flavor. In a way, Sichuan Pepper has almost a minty taste to it; it’s really quite different and unique. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition

As many might know, I started The Ramen Rater (click to see the old site) in 2002 and did about 60 reviews. Then, I turned my attention to spicy hot sauces with The Sauce Rater. In 2010, I resumed my instant noodle reviewing. I’ve long been a fan of the spicy side of things – strong heat and good flavor are a couple of my favorite things. Let’s have a look at the absolutely hottest varieties I’ve found in my over 1,700 reviews of instant noodles from around the world in this year’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1684: Wugudaochang Sichuan Pepper & Chicken Flavor Noodles

I’ve been really curious about this one, a brothless variety. This is made in the same way as mi goreng, however is more along the lines of what would be called a stir noodle or dry noodle. The looks from the package is interesting – I see peanuts! Peppers! Let’s crack it open and have a look! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1530: Lucky Me! Spicy Beef Mami Instant Noodle Soup

Lucky Me! Spicy Beef Mami is a newer product I’m pretty sure. A couple neat things about this one is tyhat they use Labuyo pepper. It’s also known as Bird’s Eye chilli as well a cili padi (chilli paddi) in Indonesia and Malaysia. What’s more, this is another instance of instant noodles being referred to as ‘mami.’ As far as I know, this in a purely Filipino thing; never seen instant noodles called mami anywhere else (although there is a Malaysian company called Mamee, (a play on mee and MAMA) and a Thai brand called MAMA (for the same reason). I thought I’d see what Wikipedia has to say about the various meanings of mami and got this list: ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1387: Takamori Red Pepper & Garlic Peperoncino

Well folks, this is it. The last one for this Meet The Manufacturer. I really have enjoyed reviewing all of these fresh noodle varieties quite a bit, and I think it’s finally gotten me to look at the possibility of a The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Fresh Noodles Of All Time list. They don’t exactly fit into the Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time lists as they’re usually on a different playing field; they’re not fried blocks, but fresh pouches. So that might be something coming up in the near future. I’d like to thank Yuji for the help in making these reviews happen – I’ve messaged him plenty of times with questions throughout as there’s no English on any of the packaging, let alone the title sometimes. Let’s have a look at this interesting variety from Takamori Kosan of Japan as we bid them a fond farewell for now. Yuji has mentioned that there will be new varieties coming, so it’s not goodbye, but til next time. ...see full post

#1058: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle Mandarin Noodle – Original Sauce

Here’s the last of the varieties that A-Sha sent. This has been a really interesting Meet The Manufacturer – I’ve immersed myself in Taiwan documentaries and listening to music from Taiwan and checking out the architecture. I really never knew anything to speak of about Taiwan, but I must say it looks like an amazing place! Today, I’ll try the original flavor – A-Sha told me it’s their most popular. ...see full post

#1056: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle Mandarin Noodle – Onion Oil Sauce

As most of you have probably noticed, I like onions. I usually pick sweet onion since it tends to smell up the freezer a bit less as I get a ton of them, prep them, then put them in a freezer bag. One time I got some at a grocery that were simply called brown onions, and they stunk up the entire fridge! Looking forward to this one by A-Sha – onion oil flavor! ...see full post

#1054: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha No. 10 – Mandarin Noodle – Black Pepper Sauce

When I first opened the box of samples from A-Sha, I was immediately curious about this one. Big, blocky red type on a stark white background. I’ve been told this black pepper flavor is tradition of a dish served at ‘Night Markets’ in Taiwan. A steak with a black pepper sauce and an egg on the side – a very nostalgic Taiwanese classic (here’s what it looks like). Let’s have a look. ...see full post

#1053: Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Dry Noodle Tainan Noodle – Sesame Sauce

I was sitting in the car for a while yesterday and I turned on a streaming radio app I have on my phone. I searched for noodles and found a story about the popularity of cold sesame noodles in the ’60s there and a guy named Shorty Tang whose restaurant was quite popular. Anyways, here’s the radio broadcast. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: A-Sha Foods International Interview